Talk the Vote

Tonight we attended the “Talk the Vote” show, starring Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved and Dennis Prager, that is touring the U.S. The event was sponsored by the Patriot, Salem Radio’s local affiliate. With no advertising other than announcements on the Patriot, the event drew a sold-out crowd of 3,000 to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

It was a great evening. A number of local politicians spoke, including Norm Coleman, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Erik Paulsen and others. The “three tenors” of talk radio–although Prager is no tenor–were terrific, showing again why they are rightly considered three of the smartest men in public life. The crowd was charged up, with the atmosphere at times resembling a football rally.

At one point in the evening we had an opportunity to chat with Coleman. I’m feeling increasingly confident that he will win. While it scared me at the time, Norm’s decision to go entirely positive in his ad campaign has proved a good one. Here in Minnesota, one could feel the momentum in the campaign shift over the last week or so. As undecided voters get serious about the race, the contrast between the Senator and the angry former comedian is obvious. Still, there are no grounds for overconfidence this year: anyone who doesn’t want the Democrats to have unchecked power for the next two years should go to Norm’s web site and contribute what you can.

With the Dow up nearly 900 points today, and Gallup’s most recent “likely voter” poll showing John McCain rallying to within two points of Obama, hope is the sentiment of the day.

UPDATE: My pal Ed Morrissey brought a video camera to Talk the Vote to report on behalf of Hot Air. Shortly before the event got under way, Ed interviewed me briefly; we talked about some of the key Minnesota races. In the background of the video, you can see the impressive crowd gathering.